Life Anew
by Red Okra
Summary: The life of a wandering ex-criminal was not a menial task, especially not when they risk their lives fighting the darkness, yet it was the lifestyle that she chose as an atonement for her misdeeds; she never realized, however, that a single mistake could drastically change the way she lived her life as she knew.
1. Chapter 1

They were traveling in the woods, where exactly, Meredy was not really sure, but at that moment, it was the least of her worries.

"We should be at the rendezvous point in about three miles," Jellal said, walking ahead of her. Dusk was already settling in, and their main source of light was his hand set aflame with magic, which illuminated the immediate surroundings just enough.

With their pace, they should be there in less than an hour, and normally, Meredy did not really mind. It was in the nature of their guild to travel by foot, after all, and after many years of exploring the lands, she had gotten used to it. For the past weeks however, she noticed that she grew tired easily, and although Jellal never said anything about it, she knew he ultimately observed it as well.

"Let's take a rest for a while," he declared, guiding her to a more grassy area where they could catch their breaths. Meredy silently thanked him, knowing that he allowed it for her sake. Jellal's keen observational skills were included in the things that she found wondrous about him, aside from his vast repertoire of magic, of course, because even if she tried to conceal her fatigue, Jellal would notice it every time, even back in the days when Ultear was still with them.

She helped him gather some branches which subsequently became campfire with a flick of a finger from Jellal, literally. They sat in silence for the next few moments. It was usually like that in his presence, and she learned to appreciate it because it gave her the opportunity to share whatever was on her mind, no matter how mundane or extraneous she thought it was for him, because he would always be willing to listen. Perhaps Jellal thought it was also one way of keeping their sanity intact, because they did not really come in contact with people most of the time. Besides, they were pretty much family already.

However, it was one of the very few times wherein Meredy was at loss for words, and it was Jellal who was speaking more than usual.

"How is your stomachache?"

"It's fine," she said almost immediately. Although it was already dark, she saw how it made him raise a curious eyebrow. "It must be something I ate yesterday."

He only looked at her in silence, before gazing at the blazing fire in front of them, seemingly in deep contemplation.

"I...I ate some berries while you weren't looking," she added. It was a lie, but she hoped it would convince him to drop the whole issue. Because she knew he would point out that they pretty much ate the same meal the previous day, yet nothing was wrong with him.

"I see." He let out an exasperated sigh. "I hope you learned your lesson, then."

She only mumbled a sound that she knew was something familiar already to Jellal, and that was she already understood whatever he was lecturing to her, before they fell into silence once more.

She had been feeling pretty sick for the past weeks. In worse times, she had been puking out at certain times of the day, which she managed to hide from Jellal for the first few times. The previous day was the fourth, and was also the time Jellal caught her, which she managed to excuse as a case of food poisoning. At that moment, she felt the familiar yet unpleasant sensation down her throat, and it took much of her willpower to push it down.

"You still haven't told me about your last solo mission," Jellal said, breaking the silence the second time. While he changed the topic already, it did not lessen her uneasiness. "The specifics, in particular."

She bit her lip nervously. Normally, she would have debriefed it to Jellal as soon as they met; however, the mission already ended several weeks ago, probably five already. Meredy tried to avoid his gaze, which she knew was already saying that he was aware she was hiding something.

"It's as I said before, the mission was a failure, because the dark mage managed to get away." She still avoided his eyes. "I'm sorry Jellal, I truly am."

"And as I also said before, it does not matter to me whether you managed to capture him or not, because in the end, you were still able to gather important coordinates about the dark guild." Jellal sighed deeply, elbows leaning on his knees as he clasped his palms together. "Meredy, if you are worried about me being upset because you failed the mission, don't be, because I'm not. I know how difficult our goals are, and what matters most to me in the end is that you are safe and sound, because it means that you have another day to try again, another chance to live our lives better."

Meredy widened her eyes briefly at his words, and seeing his face, he was probably as surprised as she was considering the length of his speech. Usually, he was a quiet man, and judging from his outburst, she knew it meant that she was already frustrating him with her secrecy.

The corners of her eyes were starting to water. The bitter taste was up her throat again, yet she mustered everything within her to gulp it down.

She had no intentions of saying it to Jellal, not even to anyone. It was a grave mistake, foolishness in her part. She was quiet for the past days for a reason; she had been trying to keep her mind off the incident, because she hoped by the time they met with their guildmates, she would no longer think about it especially knowing Erik's capacity of hearing one's inner thoughts. If worse came to worst, she even thought of bribing him, just so he would keep him mouth shut.

But the effects of the incident had on her body definitely laughed scornfully at her intentions.

"I'm sorry Jellal, I made a mistake." Her vision was already blurred and she ducked her head, trying to shield her eyes with her hair.

"I already said that it doesn't matter-"

"No, Jellal. You don't understand. I was too selfish, too stupid..."

She already knew there was no escaping it, so she finally confessed, telling him exactly what she had been hiding from the past days. The barrier on her feelings broke down completely, the concealed emotions flowing out violently like strong waves.

She need not look at him nor cast Sensory Link to know what he felt towards her. Shock to the core, followed by extreme disappointment. Yet she could not blame him.

In shame, she covered her face, sobbing disgracefully at her sin.

"I'm sorry, Jellal, I'm sorry..."

She did not know how long she had been crying out, but eventually she felt a warm hand caressing the top of her head. She removed a hand from her tear-drenched face and saw Jellal with a solemn look. Without thinking twice, she immediately clung to his figure as if her own life depending on it. It took a few seconds before she felt him embrace back, his other hand patting her head soothingly.

Despite the hushes that went out from his mouth, Meredy continued whispering her apologies even as the fire died out.

* * *

 **A/N:** I told myself that I should try to finish my other stories first before creating a new story, but alas, I am my own enemy. This started out as an idea which I drew on tumblr and it became a full-fledged story in my mind. Hopefully I'll be able to put them all into words.


	2. Chapter 2

Positive.

Meredy stared at the small contraption between her shaking hands.

She had never been as physically and emotionally exhausted as she was at that moment, yet it was her that urged Jellal to resume their journey towards their meeting point, where the rest of the guild were waiting. Brows furrowed and eyes still fervent, Jellal opened his mouth as if to say something against it, yet he closed it again, only giving out a short nod.

The rest of their journey had been quieter, if that was even possible, yet there was an unspoken tension present in the air that did not surprise Meredy. She knew he made him angry. It was not a first, because in their many years of traveling together, she did manage to get on his nerves, and at some occasions, he to her as well. She recalled that one time wherein she ate too much pastries and Jellal scolded her for going over her allowed intake for sweets. Or that other incident wherein she teased him too much about his failure of a love life, which she had to admit as she reflected on it, was indeed over the line and she was in the wrong. It resulted to him giving her a cold shoulder, the longest lasting for several hours, before he ultimately gave in and started talking to her again, much to Ultear's amusement when she was still with them.

However, the triviality of their previous arguments was definitely not at par with what she did wrong in her last mission, because she knew she betrayed Jellal's trust and disregarded all of the values he taught her, in favor of fulfilling personal desires and temporary companionship, which, considering their current status and goals, were unneeded, untimely, and unnecessary. Jellal had every right to be angry, and she knew that Ultear would be as disappointed in her as him.

Soon, they were reunited with their comrades, taking shelter in a cave beneath the woods which served as their current base. Briefly, she glanced at their guild mates and saw that some of them looked particularly sour, probably impatient and hungry due to their late arrival. It was Erik who looked surprisingly calm, leaning his back on the cold surface of the cave walls with both his eyes shut.

"'the hell took you guys so long?"

It was Sawyer who complained. He was usually very particular about time, which Meredy assumed had something to do with his fondness for speed and whatnot. Sorano similarly aired out something about rumbling stomachs. This was also not the first time that she and Jellal did not meet their deadline for time—they had been one or two minutes late before, Sawyer was _that_ meticulous—and usually, Meredy would've come up with a droll reply. However, she couldn't even bring herself to face them, her head facing towards the ground.

"Shut your trap," Erik managed to mutter before Sawyer could say anything further. Meredy realized that his good eye was already fluttered open and was staring directly at her, making her retreat her line of sight back to the stone floor. "Hear out what they're gonna say."

It was one of the rare times wherein she appreciated Erik's hypersensitive hearing capabilities, because often, she found it absurd and irritating, completely breaching their private thoughts. Erik reassured her before though that it wasn't exactly voluntary and it wasn't a fun roller coaster ride for him either. Somehow, she could empathize with him too. Maguilty Sense also had some side effects—she wore the ear mufflers for a reason, not just for aesthetics. Plus, she became particularly sensitive to the emotions overtaken by people, especially the ones she has bonded with, to the point that she felt as if she had casted Sensory Link with them, the more she practiced and used the magic. Perhaps, it was a reason why it was Lost Magic; Meredy was surprised she had not grown insane yet.

Upon hearing Erik, Jellal stepped closer to them, creating a distance between him and the unmoving Meredy. From her periphery she saw that how he stopped in his tracks and glanced his head back at her direction, not saying anything. Clutching her hands together, she finally mustered the courage to face him again. The somberness never left his face, yet his eyes gleamed more with understanding. She nodded, giving approval to what he had intended.

Jellal gathered their comrades further inside the cave, save Meredy who sat by the entrance with her back facing them. Despite how he felt about the whole thing—angry, frustrated, disappointed, she could pinpoint—Jellal still made the mature decision of explaining her current predicament to who Meredy considered as her new family. There was no point in making it a secret, especially since Erik already knew about it, and if their hunch was true, the effects of it were not something that could easily be concealed.

She did not know what specifically they exchanged in their unexpected conference—not that she wanted to know anyway—but she trusted Jellal enough to let him do the storytelling. Their talk was over soon enough, and in the end, they managed to come up with two important questions that needed immediate answers.

First, was the act consensual or not? Because if it was against her will, the next job mission would immediately commence—the search and hunt for the perpetrator.

Meredy managed to stifle a smile. It warmed her heart to know that despite her misgivings, they really cared for her in the end. She admitted, shyly, that they both consented to the act—that was how she felt, anyway. Her revelation seemed to delight Richard the most, who was about to spout something like "I knew it was the work of love, yeah!" only to be elbowed on the stomach by Sorano, who was rolling her eyes.

Second, was she indeed, carrying a child in her womb? It was merely a speculation, an explanation to her unusual fatigue and morning sickness, but they have yet to actually confirm it.

Which brought them to the next situation.

It was Richard who gave her a small device that would ultimately answer their suspicions. It initially caused lots of eyebrows to be raised, including Macbeth surprisingly—because why on Earthland would Richard have something like that?—but he defensively explained that his medical kit is just complete, yeah.

After listening to his instructions, she went to a secluded portion of the forest not too far from the cave and did as he explained.

Positive.

Richard also explained what it meant.

Silently, she handed the device to Richard, and excused herself for the night, telling him that she was too tired.

Speculations were one thing; it had rooms for doubts, because perhaps, she was just feeling sick because of the berries and it was all just a coincidence.

The image of the device paraded on her mind as she settled on her sleeping cot, unmindful of the gazes given to her as Richard delivered the news to her comrades.

The red plus sign that flashed on its screen mockingly supported all the things that she denied happening to herself once she felt unwell.

She closed her eyes, and willed herself to the sleep that she had been looking forward to—an escape from this reality, albeit temporary.

* * *

 **A/N:** I'm still undecided whether to add aspects about the father of the child, or make this just Meredy and Crime Sorciere-centric. If you guys are aware of my preferences (or at least, follow my other stories) I think you already have an idea about his identity, haha. I already have the parts of Meredy's mission written out, in the POV of the child's dad, but I don't know when to add it in the story. Oh well. Thank you for all the follows and faves so far! They are well-appreciated!


	3. Chapter 3

The next day, Meredy woke up feeling pale and queasy. The next thing she knew, she was scurrying off to the nearby shrubberies, emptying whatever contents were even left in her stomach. Another pair of hands pulled away the tresses from her face, and looking back slightly, she saw the concerned look from Sorano's face, though not missing the wrinkling of her nose. Most probably due to the stench of her own version of plant fertiliser, of course. May the green gods of Ishgard shrubbery forgive her.

When she felt she no longer had anything to give out, Sorano guided her back to the cave, where the rest of the sleeping cots were laid out. It seemed that everyone but them was out training. Even Macbeth, the most frequent user of his own sleeping abode, was conspicuously absent from his usual spot.

"If you're wondering, it's already noon time," the older woman pointed out, noticing that Meredy was glancing up the sky by the entrance. Sorano let out an amused sort of snort. "Looks like this pregnancy is really taking a toll on you. Your routines, anyway."

Looks like Sorano noticed it too. Meredy was usually an early riser, even back in the days when she was in Grimoire Heart where she had extremely strict schedules and routines. It proved to be useful when she started travelling with Ultear and Jellal, and while she started to loosen up her previously robotic habits, some of it still remained; the waking up early thing being one of them.

"Why are you here?" was the first thing that came out of Meredy's mouth, earning her an elevated eyebrow from Sorano. "I mean, shouldn't you also be training out there?"

"And leave your sick little butt here all alone?" Sorano crossed her arms, definitely looking irritated. "I don't think so."

Meredy frowned. The last thing she wanted was becoming a burden to all of them. "Even if I'm...like this, I'm not totally helpless, you know."

"Oh shut it, will you?" Sorano dismissed impudently, rolling her eyes. "This is actually an order from Jellal. You should not be left alone, he said. And you know what, even if he didn't say that, I'll still be looking out for you either way, because whether you like it or not, I also consider you to be part of my family... Or whatever." Sorano placed a hand on her hip, exhaling hard from her sudden outburst. "Ugh, now I'm sounding like those annoying Fairies."

Meredy stared wide-eyed at her revelation, and a warm feeling enveloped her cheeks. Definitely a preferred feeling compared to what she had to experience earlier. Sorano, despite the sassy exterior, somehow still had some angelic attributes, albeit rough, whereas Jellal, despite being angry, still cared for her.

"Thank you, Sorano."

Sorano simply brushed it off, waving a hand nonchalantly. She walked over at the middle of the cave, towards a small campfire with a black pot over it. "Don't mention it. Now, let's eat."

A frown formed on Meredy's face again. She dreaded the feeling—the bitter aftertaste from before, along with the feeling unpleasant nothingness in her bellies. Meredy loved food, really, sometimes even too much to the point that Jellal would reprimand her in his typical Jellal fashion, grumpy face with the low, grumpy tone of voice—but at that moment, she did not have the appetite for anything at all.

Sorano took notice of her expression, yet handed her a small bowl with soup, freshly hot from the pot. "Try to eat, though. We should be travelling again tomorrow."

Meredy gave a small nod, before placing her hands around the bowl. The warmth soothed her, at least.

"You know, you kinda remind me of my younger sister," Sorano said, breaking the silence, "Not the pregnant thing, I mean. But she should be around your age."

Meredy raised a curious brow. Despite being with them for over a year, Meredy didn't really know much about the past lives her new comrades. It's not that they weren't talkative, but they seem to prefer not speaking about their history. Most of the time, it was Jellal who filled in some of the details for her, but he also did not know much especially about their lives before the Tower of Heaven incident. She respected their privacy, and tried not to be nosy about it, as someone who did not really have pleasant memories herself. "You have a sister?" she replied softly, with a bit of hesitance.

Sorano went silent, and for a second, Meredy wondered whether the older woman heard her or not. "Yeah. I haven't seen her since I was abducted as a child, though." Sorano paused, staring at the contents of her bowl. "Actually, I thought she was dead, much like my parents. I guess it's one of the reasons why I longed to be an angel, so that I could fade into the sky with them."

"So she's still alive?"

Sorano simply shrugged. "I hope so. I only have rumors to back me up. They say she's with one of the legal guilds in Fiore now and they have been treating her well, though I have yet to see for myself. Anyway, I'm confident that it's all true. She has always been such a loving kid, a bit of a crybaby sometimes but very kind, yeah. I know she won't have trouble getting along with others."

"Well, why don't you meet with her personally, to see for yourself?"

Sorano let out a laugh, but it was hollow, almost empty of any humor. "And let her know that the sister she once adored has fallen into a path of a cruel, cold-blooded murderer? Nah."

" _'Had,_ '" Meredy corrected, lifting up a spoon and waving it slightly, "Like the rest of us, you are trying to redeem yourselves of your past mistakes, right? You decided to use your freedom to be here with us in Crime Sorciere, after all. Because you no longer chose to be bound by darkness."

"Still, it doesn't erase the fact that I have killed someone before; not to mention, the person was a Celestial Spirit mage like us. The memory of a dead, role model sister is much better compared to a living, yet deceitful sister."

Meredy took a moment to glance at Sorano and realized that she hadn't touched her food as well the moment they started talking about her past. The pinkette shifted the bowl onto one of her hands, and used the free one to squeeze the other's shoulder.

"You know, you remind me of someone too. You should be around her age as well. " As the image of a certain time mage flashed on her mind, the younger gave the other a comforting smile, "If your sister is indeed as kind as you have said, I'm sure, whatever you did in the past, she would be able to forgive you."

Sorano said nothing in reply, but mirrored the smile nonetheless. "Enough about me and the past. Let's talk about you and the present."

It was Meredy's turn to be silent, and she found her eyes, slowly being drenched with tears once more, avoiding Sorano's. "It, it was a mistake. It was something that I should not have done."

She did not know what expression Sorano was making, though her response earned her a momentary pause from the other. "I'm sure you regret it, but I'd like you to know, I, at least, do not condemn you for whatever act you did."

She peeked from underneath her bangs, and saw Sorano with a much understanding look on her face.

"I'm pretty sure the others feel the same too," she continued, "We are far from being saints, darling."

Meredy had to bite her lower lip to fight back her tears, and finally she decided to face Sorano, despite knowing how ridiculous she probably looked. She was thankful that Sorano did not tease her, as she would have in normal circumstances.

"Besides, I'm a woman too, you know, and while I haven't experienced that particular situation you are in," Sorano glimpsed at the barely visible bump on her stomach," I am aware of the risks in engaging in those kinds of…activities. Life is quite unfair, right? Why do we have to carry this sort of burden while men are free to do whatever they please without some sort of consequence?"

Meredy could only give out a soundless giggle, nodding at her statements. The thought of not having Ultear around still made her dejected from time to time, yet she was very thankful for Sorano's presence, especially when she had to live in a group dominating in testosterone.

"Besides, it's not really a crime to enjoy sex." Meredy found herself cringing with Sorano's lack of tact, yet she remembered that she was talking to Sorano after all. "Those boys, they do it too. Well, Erik and Sawyer, as far as I know, heaven knows about Macbeth or Richard, but one drunken night, those two were boasting what his giant anaconda can do while the other how fast he can—"

"Stop, stop!" Sounds of laughter finally burst from Meredy's mouth, to which Sorano gave a confident smile. Seeing that, Meredy was sure it was Sorano's intention of her blurting out too much information about her comrades' private activities. "I don't want to hear any more of that!"

Sorano snorted and crossed her arms. "Fine, such a party pooper." When Meredy gave only an awkward grin, Sorano spoke again. "Whatever your decision would be in this predicament, I want you to know that I would stand by you."

Meredy nodded again, and thanked Sorano for a second time.

Angel only shrugged again, taking a sip from her soup, only to cringe afterwards. The soup had probably gone cold. "But you know, I have to admit that it did surprise me at first. I thought you were always so, hmm, innocent. Never knew you had that sort of spunk in you."

The girl scratched the back of her neck in embarrassment. "Well, you could say I have my needs too." When Sorano only widened her eyes in shock, Meredy quickly waved her hands in front of her in defense. "I was kidding! Haha, I really don't know. It just…sort of happened."

Sorano immediately shifted her position and slid closer towards Meredy. "Okay, time to spill the important details. First of all, was he gorgeous?"

Meredy gave out a sheepish smile. She rarely had those so-called girl talks, but at that moment, she felt it was something that she really needed.


	4. Chapter 4

Hargeon had the reputation of being one of the most beautiful old towns in Fiore, and it only took that very moment for Meredy to realize it, as she glanced at the public park which could be seen from where she stood.

Being on-the-go for almost eight straight years already, she did not really have the opportunity to stop by and marvel at the beauty of infrastructures since she had much more important things to focus on—one, their primary mission of eradicating dark guilds and two, avoiding the presence of Magic Council members.

"Heh, funny that you think that, pinky, considering he's talking to one of them," Erik interjected, breaking her thoughts. Meredy wasn't even surprised and simply rolled her eyes. "Well, a former council member, but still one."

"Jellal was a former council member too, you know," she said back, leaning against the tree which partly shielded her from public view. The dragon slayer across her simply shrugged, resting his back on the crates of assorted fruits that were gathered outside the building that Jellal was currently in.

Her eyes wandered off to the window where she caught a glimpse of some familiar blue locks, who she knew was in deep conversation with the owner of the building. She actually had doubts regarding their plan, but she trusted Jellal well enough, especially after she revealed her decision some days ago.

The baby, she decided, would be allowed to stay—or rather, grow within her. After child birth, she honestly did not have any concrete plans yet, but she knew she would not dispose of the baby.

Weeks prior, Sorano had informed her of the existence of a well-known underground facility that specialized in those kind of stuff. The process was said to be physically excruciating, yet it did the job. Shame washed over her features when she realized that she considered saying yes. Yes, because it was the easier way out. Because that way, everything would simply be back to normal.

But no. She simply could not. It was not because of the pain, because pain was far from an issue for her.

Not when that very night, when she was pondering on Sorano's proposition, a familiar magenta glow appeared on her wrist, and she felt a heart beating other than her own. She immediately sat up from her cot and frantically scanned her sleeping guild mates, because who would make her subconsciously cast a Sensory Link with?

Her hand, the one with the link, dropped down her lap, and she gazed at it, glowing just in front of her belly.

Realization struck. And she cried. Cried so much that it startled Sawyer, who was on watch that night. Soon, everyone had huddled near her, puzzled with her sudden burst of emotions, and she found herself in the warm embrace of Richard, who was patting her back soothingly.

The morning after that night, she announced her answer, that yes, she would keep the baby, an answer that was probably least shocking for her almost-family. After a bit of deliberation, they had decided that Sorano, Sawyer, Macbeth, and Richard would leave for the west, in search of the dark guild they were originally tracking, while she, Jellal, and Erik would go east, on the way to Hargeon.

They had considered going to Magnolia, where Meredy—and perhaps Jellal—knew she'd had a place to stay, especially knowing that her friend Juvia was there. However, it was Meredy who thought that it wasn't the best idea. She dreaded to be a burden to them, especially since she was already in debt to the water mage, and asked Jellal if they had any other options.

Which was what brought her to the outdoor storage area of a well-known restaurant in town, currently owned by a former colleague of Jellal the time he had been "Siegrain."

The door at the back of the building opened, revealing a short old man with prominent eyebrows, sporting a chef's hat with brightly-colored "8-island" text. He was followed closely behind by her guild mate, who briefly flashed a rare smile.

Yajima briefly regarded Erik, who was unmoving from his spot and merely glanced back, no greetings whatsoever. So typical of him. He then turned to Meredy, causing her to stammer a bit. She was surprised when he looked at her cordially. "You must be Meredy. I have…heard of you."

Meredy gave an awkward smile, looking away. Of course he knew of her…of them. They were former members of the guilds under the Balam Alliance and probably among the top of the wanted list of the council. Her pictures were probably plastered all over the bulletin boards of Era; granted, it was probably her picture when she was in her teens, but it was still _her_.

Yajima said nothing else and simply invited them to come inside. The old man gestured for her to sit down as the two men stood behind her.

Jellal's plan, it turned out, had gone smoothly, which Meredy learned at the end of the day was totally not what Jellal had been expecting. She knew Jellal was not in good terms with Yajima especially with his stunts regarding the Etherion, but after some discussion, the old man had agreed to provide lodgings for Meredy in the course of her pregnancy. In the condition that she would help out in his restaurant.

Meredy briskly turned her head towards Jellal in silent protest, because what the heck did she know about meal preparation and kitchen work?! But Jellal simply nodded his head, silently telling her that she actually had no choice in the matter. Meredy slumped back in defeat.

As soon as things were settled already—such as clarifications from Yajima that yes, they may visit Meredy for some time, but no, they could NOT hold meetings in his restaurant, Jellal approached the old man, thanking him. The man said nothing verbally, yet his gaze was on Jellal, who, after some seconds, nodded back at him. Meredy presumed that they spoke privately in their thoughts.

"I'm leaving you in charge for the intel in this town," Jellal mentioned, walking towards the exit as he started pulling out his hood, "If you find something, or need anything, we could still exchange information via telepathy, if it permits, or via communications lacrima."

Meredy pursed her lips together, nodding.

"If you don't have anything else to say, then—"

She briskly tackled him into a hug, interrupting his words and shifting his base of support.

"Thank you, Jellal," she whispered, burying her head in his clothes, "Really…"

She heard him huff a breath out, patting her head gently. Beside them, she heard an amused snort from Erik. She could already imagine the smirk on his face, but she ignored him.

Holding her hands together, she watched the two of them disappear in the crowds of people, convincing herself that everything would turn out fine. Unknowingly, the heart beat from before had synced with hers once more.


End file.
